Officer Injured in Las Vegas Shooting Presented with Discount Home Renovations

Many homeowners love the idea of tinkering around in the garage or getting new gutters. Gutter cleaning is an important job for homeowners that should be done twice a year, and most of us take for granted our ability to perform these mundane daily tasks. However, for one man, cleaning his gutters isn’t the thing he’s most concerned about when it comes to his home and accessibility. Simply getting to his home’s master bathroom is now a daily struggle.

San Bernardino County sheriff Sgt. Brad Powers was injured in October during the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. He’s on the mend after taking a bullet to his left side.

The San Bernardino Sun reports that on October 1, Sgt. Powers was one of hundreds injured in the mass shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival in Las Vegas. The bullet entered his left side above his pelvis and settled in his right leg. Powers’ wife, Kristin Powers, dragged him to safety 20 feet away and started administering first aid.

Luckily, the bullet only damaged muscle and fatty tissue and didn’t impact any bones. After spending 20 days in the hospital, Powers was released to the Loma Linda rehab facility, where he stayed for another two and a half weeks recovering. Before he could go home, the rehab facility required the family to have a handicap-accessible shower in their home. This turned his wife’s life upside down.

Kristin’s mother, Judi Kizziar, sought out an old friend from San Bernardino named Eric Grisham. Kizziar worked for Grisham many years ago at Empire Tile and Marble Supply. It had been years since Kizziar spoke with the Grisham family, but after the tragedy, contact was initiated.

Kizziar reached out to Grisham’s daughter Serena Foster, who is Empire’s vice president and head of design. A meeting was then set up to make arrangements.

“Everybody from San Bernardino knows somebody who was in Las Vegas that night,” Grisham said. “We knew 6 or 7 people that got shot or hurt or were there when it happened, so we knew there would be people needing help. We happened to be asked to be in the right place at the right time.”

Foster designed Powers handicap-accessible bathroom, and reached out to local contractors and vendors, asking them to donate all of the necessary labor. Foster said those whom she reached out to were all on board with helping an officer in need.

Today, approximately 6.8 million Americans rely on assistive devices to enhance their mobility, whether due to age, injury, or disability. However, it can be difficult for many people to afford the home modifications necessary to maintain quality of life after a serious injury.

On November 3, Powers returned to his home and while contractors were finishing up, he used his brand new shower for the first time. Soon, glass doors will be installed in the new bathroom. Foster anticipates that the family will only have to pay a third of a cost.

“I can’t thank everyone who’s been involved in this enough,” Brad Powers said. “It’s only a shower, you know. But to me, it’s more. It’s freedom. It’s me being able to take care of myself again.”